Clinton Promotes German Edition of Book

Published 8:00 pm, Sunday, July 6, 2003

For about 200 German fans of Hillary Rodham Clinton, getting an autographed copy of her memoirs seemed secondary to the hope of meeting a possible future U.S. president.

"It's easier to put up with the world if one can carry the hope of having had a future U.S. president before them," said Rainer Raider, who flocked to a Berlin store Sunday evening for the signing.

Clinton did not give any statements to the press, but her spokesman Philippe Reines echoed the former first lady's frequently repeated denial that she has any presidential ambitions.

The German translation of Clinton's book "Living History," which went on sale here June 10 has already sold 120,000 copies, said Margit Ketterle of the Econ house, which published the book. For the second week it was No. 2 on Der Spiegel's nonfiction bestseller list.

For Ingo Segiet, who came dressed in a jacket made out of a U.S. flag, it was a chance to demonstrate that despite differences between Washington and Berlin over the Iraq war, many Germans are still warm toward Americans.

"She fascinates me," Segiet said of Clinton. "I wish for the American people that this woman would become president one day."